(Updated with Index Futures, Box Recommendation Change, Apple, Rivian, Horizon Therapeutics, Coupa Software Forerunner)
PARIS, Dec 12 (Reuters) – Top stocks to watch on Wall Street on Monday, where major index futures suggest an open up 0.22% for the Dow Jones, 0.28% for the Standard & Poor’s 500 and 0.32% for the Nasdaq:
* AMGEN on Monday announced the acquisition of biotechnology company HORIZON THERAPEUTICS for approximately $26.40 billion, its largest acquisition to date. Sanofi announced on Sunday that it would no longer be in discussions with the American biotech. HORIZON shares jumped 12.1% ahead of market.
* MICROSOFT will acquire a 4% stake in London Stock Exchange Group as part of a 10-year commercial deal to transition the stock trader’s data platform to cloud computing (“the cloud”), the British firm announced on Monday. Microsoft’s stock traded 0.4% higher than the market.
* BOEING – Air India, owned by Indian conglomerate Tata Group, is set to place a historic order for at least 500 planes from both Airbus and Boeing, worth tens of billions of dollars, industry sources told Reuters on Sunday .
* APPLE takes 0.3% lead in market, Evercore broker ISI announced that delivery times for Pro models of iPhones have dropped to 22-26 days in all regions it tracks, except Japan, while demand remains strong.
* COUPA SOFTWARE jumped 22% in pre-market after a news release that private equity firm Thoma Bravo is in advanced talks to buy the software publisher after outbidding from Vista Equity Partners.
* RIVIAN AUTOMOTIVE announced plans to suspend its joint venture with Mercedes-Benz Vans on Monday, just three months after partnering with the German automaker to produce electric vans in Europe. Rivian fell 3.5% in pre-market trading.
* CLOVIS ONCOLOGY – The American pharmaceutical laboratory, specialized in the treatment of cancer, filed for bankruptcy on Sunday due to declining sales and difficulties in raising new capital.
* ACCENTURE – Piper Sandler drops her recommendation to “underweight” versus “neutral.”
* BOX – JP Morgan ups its recommendation to ‘overweight’ from ‘neutral’. (Written by Claude Chendjou, edited by Kate Entringer)
